Tag Archives: writing

Film Courage:What is a high concept movie idea? It’s something that has been brought up a handful of times in our interviews. We know it can be an elusive topic. Here is the best of what we have, hope you find it helpful.

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“I constantly write things on this blog like “I’m not sure about this part…”. I try to not be falsely modest (when I do actually know something, I try to just state it without hedging), but when I don’t know something, I say so.”

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Game critic and writer Andy Kelly uses a clever test to identify if characters in video games he plays actually qualify as characters. This test is taken from Red Letter Media’s famous ‘Plinkett’ reviews, specifically the long-form review of The Phantom Menace:

Andy Kelly:I call it the Plinkett Test. To prove just how forgettable the characters in the prequels are, he asks a group of friends to complete the following mental exercise.

Describe the following Star Wars character WITHOUT saying what they look like, what kind of costume they wore, or what their profession or role in the movie was.

It’s a test that can be applied to video game characters too. It’s far from scientific, but it’s a good way to determine if a character is, in fact, a character, and not just someone defined by their appearance or actions.⋮To be clear, the Plinkett Test isn’t a method for determining if a character is a good character—just that they are one.

See also:Other Places — A video series by Andy Kelly celebrating beautiful video game worlds.

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John August:John Quaintance recently tweeted photos of two whiteboards listing phrases banned in the Workaholics writers’ room. His tweet has been widely shared, and is a mitzvah to all writers.

These phrases are all clams — jokes that aren’t funny anymore and therefore need to die. When you include them in a script, you’re evoking the rhythm of comedy without the content of comedy. They’re not just cliché; they’re hollow.

___? More Like ___

Can You Not?

…I Can Explain!

Let’s Not And Say We Did

I Didn’t Not ___

Va-Jay-Jay

Wait For It…

Just Threw Up In My Mouth

Really?

Good Talk

And By ___ I Mean ___

Check Please!

Awkward!

Shut The Front Door!

Lady Boner

Rut-Roh!

I Think That Came Out Wrong

Uh…Define ___

No? Just Me?

Why Are We Whispering?

That Went Well…

Stay Classy

I’m A Hot Mess!

That’s Not A Thing

It’s Science

Bacon Anything

Cray-Cray

Real Talk

#Nailed It

Random!

Awesome Sauce

Thanks…I Guess

Little Help?

Laughy McLaugherson

___ Dot Com

I Love Lamp

Oh Helllll Naw!

#Epic Fail

Did I Just Say That Out Loud?

Food Baby

Douche (Nozzle)

Soooo, That Just Happened

Squad Goals

I Just Peed A Little

Too Soon?

Spoiler Alert

Um…In English Please

Note To Self

Life Hack

Best. ___. Ever. (or Worst. ___. Ever.)

It’s Giving Me All The Feels

Garbage People

That Happened One Time!

Well Played

I’m Right Here!

Hard Pass

Are You Having A Stroke?

Go Sports!

Zero Fucks Given

We Have Fun

Who Hurt You?

I Absorbed My Twin In The Womb

I’ll Take ___ For $500, Alex

Thanks Obama

Wait, What?

Shots Fired

Sharkweek

You Assclown

Ridonkulous

Bag Of Dicks

Hey, Don’t Help

Debbie Downer

I Can’t Unsee That

That Just Happened

See What I Did There?

I’ll Show Myself Out

Here’s The Line, Here’s You

___ On Steroids/Crack

Swipe Right

White People Problems

I Could Tell You But I’d Have To Kill You

That’s Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

I Think We’re Done Here

Found via John August’s own Scriptnotes podcast. I recommend listening to this episode for the ensuing conversation about these ‘clams’, why they happen and what to do in their stead (the segment is about 20 minutes in).